Do you want to be in that number?

In Like 19, we have the parable of the pounds - wherein a certain nobleman gives ten servants a pound each, leaves for a time, and returns to investigate his servants. Three servants are shown, one has turned his pound into ten, one has turned his pound into five, and one has turned his pound into one - has in fact hidden the pound away out of fear. Each servant was rewarded based upon what they were able to do with their respective pound, the first being given ten cities to be over, the second being given five, and the third was given none, and the first was told to take away the pound that the third had been given.

I have always understood it to mean that we must be a faithful steward of the resources under our control. I was tying it into the parable of the talents, as well as the parable of the 10 virgins - each of which have spoken to me about being mindful of our responsibilities and being prepared to ready instead of just being ready.

I took another at the parable of the pounds - there were TEN servants, each given a pound, and only three showed up when the nobleman came back. I always discounted this as Jesus being efficient, as the ten-five-one were effectively three "edifying" ways of responding to their shared commission. This never satisfied me, and I never saw why until today - what about the other seven? What did the other seven do and what did the nobleman say to them?

I believe this is actually revealed in Luke 19 as well and they are alluded to in versus 14 and 27 - his citizens hated him (14) and he calls that his enemies (which he defines as those which would not that he should reign over them be brought hither to be slain). There are, then, FOUR categories.

• The faithful, who when given a single pound are able to do much with it, and are given much in return.


• The seekers, who when given a single pound bear fruit - they are not as focused on the will of God but are still doing mighty things.


• The believers, who when given a single pound bear no fruit, focus only on the manifestation, and not the will of God.


• The others, who when given a single pound bear no fruit, lose or waste the fruit they have, and are called to be slain.

By proportion, this is a 70% attrition rate, and if we see these as representatives of the human population, this equates to:

• 70% not accepting the gospel of Christ at all, and are actually hateful toward Jesus


• 10% accepting the gospel of Christ and, through distraction, bear no fruit


• 10% accept the gospel, do some good works, and are blessed for it


• 10% accept the gospel, daily die to self, and claim the greatest blessing

So today’s call to action is simple:

1. Ask yourself which you number yourself among. Pray and be as objective as possible.


2. Ask yourself which number you wish to be among. Also pray and be objective.
   Clearly, as a believer, we are called to be among the top 10% of believers, but we have a wide proportion available - and God's grace is great.


3. Pray for a change of heart to line up more literally, fully, explicitly, and abundantly with God's will for your life so that can be a perpetual witness of God's love AND so that you can be among the number to claim those ten pounds!